Constant velocity means that an object's speed and direction do not change. If a pony is walking forward at a constant velocity, it moves in a straight line without speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction. This consistency allows for easy calculations of movement as there's no acceleration to consider.
- **Speed:** Rate at which an object covers distance (like 5 meters per second).
- **Direction:** The line or path along which something moves, points, or faces.
In our scenario, the pony moves with constant velocity, so its horizontal speed remains steady. From the parents' viewpoint, any object that separates from the pony, like the ice cream scoop, initially continues with this same constant velocity. However, gravity then introduces a downward acceleration, creating that parabolic path observed. Therefore, a constant velocity simply means keeping a steady course unless acted upon by other forces.